Chapter 1158: Truth and Empire

Chapter 1158: Truth and Empire

"We survived?" Bubbur muttered with disbelief when the escape pod's screams from having its hull twisted and rent calmed down to a cautionary susurrus.

The vessel seemed just as surprised to have survived the journey through that chaos, and the atmosphere was suddenly sucked out of a breach. Emily quickly grabbed Galau and another soldier before the whole thing collapsed, and they were spat out into the boundless expanse of outer space.

She had seen which way the wind blew and had already put on her spacefaring kit. Two talismans activated, forming layered defensive shields that allowed them to be swept away on the spatial winds, adding more distance from the tower. The moment Emily thought it safe, she took out a pod of her own and dragged the two inside.

Wayward soldiers were picked up in quick order, but Emily refused to steer her skipper away from the tower. She was waiting, her attention fully on the screens displaying the outsides.

A two-hundred-meter-long stretch of ancient stone silently floated behind themthe upper section of the Sixth Centurion Lighthouse. The rest of the tower or the huge scarred platform Zac described were nowhere to be seen. Neither were there any hints of Zac. Her heart was gripped with anxiety, wondering if something had gone wrong.

Thankfully, it was impossible to mistake the tower section for a piece of rubble separated from the rest of the structure. There were no hints of damage, apart from the severed section still reeking of ancient Killing Intent. Neither were there any signs of the spatial storm they'd narrowly passed through. Instead, the tower was surrounded by a spiral of gently flowing lights.

New motes of spatial splendor were continuously appearing from a radiant haze at the tower's bottom end. Emily could barely discern a foreign sky and another section of the tower withina different dimension. The lights traveled along the structure to a similar gate on the other end, and it seemed as though the tower was being transformed before their very eyes.

"He won't appear here," Galau said with a somber expression. "The twisted space is unraveling, stretching space across millions of miles and multiple dimensions. Every second will take him further and further away."

"Is that why we all had to cram into one pod?" Emily said, her frazzled emotions amplified by the memory of passing through the storm while packed like sardines.

"You saw the state of the third one," Average shrugged. "Doubt it'd have survived."

"That token he used" Galau hesitated. "I saw markings of the Starfall Lighthouse and that of my"Updated from novelb(i)n.c(o)m

"Forget about that thing," Emily snapped as she levied a murderous look on the group of castaways. "In fact, don't mention anything about the seals on the outside until you're back with your people. Probably not even then."

"Why not? Just what are those things?" Average asked with a frown.

Emily shot a hesitant glance at the shimmering tower before taking a steadying breath. The situation had already reached this point. She couldn't help Zac against that smooth-faced monster, but she could at least make sure these meatheads wouldn't get him in trouble after he emerged. So, Emily briefly explained the situation with the trial and how it had impacted the war.

"You're saying sealbearers have become a commodity, and the Peak Family wouldn't be able to protect me even if they wanted," Galau sighed. "Sounds like another prison is waiting outside. Or worse, we'll become pawns used to reveal the trial's hidden dangers."

Emily pursed her lips as she looked at the crestfallen merchant. Or rather, Array Master, a skill that they sorely lacked back home without Kenzie around. Someone who could fix all the defective weapons she'd stockpiled, who could provide insights into her Axe Array. He didn't even look half-bad.

And while the rest of these people looked a bit dumb, they all had incredibly stable auras and great survival instincts. They were even better than the talents they'd snagged in the Red Sector. Instead of worrying about things she couldn't control, maybe she should do some recruiting.

"Hey, Shartermaster, which seal did you get?" Emily asked as she leaned closer with big eyes. "Do you need a place to stay?"

"I thought we weren't supposed to talk about it?" Galau countered, his shifty eyes rife with distrust. "And what do you mean"

"Ah, little queen, I'm a Sealbearer of the Tethered Court," Bubbur quickly interjected as he squeezed over. "Not bad, right? So how about"

"What? You're a sealbearer?" Emily said with shock before her eyes thinned with suspicion. "Wait. You're less than a hundred years old?"

"Only a kid just shy of 90," Bubbur grinned. "I don't know? We just end up looking like this after entering the Muscle Brigade."

"Were they just handing out seals to anyone in there?" Emily muttered while flicking an arc of lightning at the overly enthusiastic barbarian. "Come on, what about you, handsome?"

Galau rolled his eyes but relented. "I guess Bubbur would rat me out anyway. I'm a Threadwinder of the Daedalian Court."

"Daedalian?" Emily said, her eyes gleaming.

Could this be the answer to the riddle that had plagued Zac for over a decade? When he first got the quest to collect Outer Court Cycles, progress was already 4/6. At that time, the only known sealbearer by his side was Ogras, which left them incredibly confused.

As time passed, they had solved parts of the mystery. She was obviously one of the four, having already gotten her first piece of the Radiant Court. But to this day, the numbers failed to add up. The cycle was complete while lacking a Threadwinder. Was it Galau all along?

"Why not go with them? We know you weren't planning to return to the army, anyway. You've even mentioned hiding out with the boss on his System-shrouded planet," Average grinned, further cementing Emily's theory.

"Call him home."

There was neither joy nor sorrow upon learning that his younger brother had failed. Not even the fact that his Imperial Qi had been forcibly dispersed, which could only mean regicide, created a ripple in his heart. It was part of the natural order and the cycle of any dynasty. Rulers came and went, becoming a link in an ever-growing chain. Hopefully, they would leave behind something greater than what they inherited. Even if not, that was just another hurdle to overcome.

Empires had their ebb and flow, and succession was a chance to turn fate around.

"Yes, Your Highness," Ylvin sighed before activating the crucible.

A flood of Imperial Qi poured out of the Royal Orb and entered the ancient stele, and Yrin added a drop of his blood. A gate through time and space, connected through lineage, formed. A bedraggled figure surrounded by immensely fell air appeared before the crucible, and it took a moment for Yrin to connect the figure with his mercurial brother.

Yrin thoughtfully looked at his brother's wounds, trying to envision the battle that brought him to this state. It wasn't easy. The large hole in his torso held lingering hints of plant-based lifeforce, while his Soul Aperture was flooded with ancient Killing Intent. Finally, there were multiple traces of Technocrat presence, including something drilled into his skull.

Ylvin growled with anger and forcibly dispersed the sinister energies with a wave of his hands before reducing the device to ash with a burst of light. It made Yselio's eyes flicker open, and they soon focused on Yrin.

"Ah, so you're the one they picked, brother," Yselio wheezed as a bloody smile appeared on his face.

"You knew?" Yrin said before slightly shaking his head. "Of course you did."

"Competition is the Heavenly Path, and this mission can't be shouldered by me alone," Yselio said as he tried to sit up, only to fail and fall back down.

His red eyes turned to the band of stars above like he was searching for secrets hidden within their constellation. Or perhaps he simply didn't have the heart to look at those present after being discarded by fate. A rough laugh more resembling a groan escaped Yselio's throat, and small red bubbles formed around his mouth.

"You ousted one outside party and weakened two more. And despite your failure inside the fortress, we managed to seize four more seals on the outside," Yrin calmly said. "I will report your achievements in hopes that our Royal Father will recover you when this chapter is concluded."

"You always were a straight arrow," Yselio smiled, his eyes unmoving. "I hope my small contribution has smoothened the road ahead."

"Your wounds hold the taint of the Selvari," Yrin said. "Are they responsible for your current state?"

"The Selvari? You could say that. The price of curiosity is steep," Yselio muttered, his gaze growing distant as he finally turned back to Yrin. "My dear brother, between truth and Empire, what's most important?"

Yselio's cultivation was rapidly dispersing while the ancient Killing Intent consumed his soul. Despite that, a sense of unease shook the normally impermeable fortress of Yrin's heart. Who better knew how dangerous Yselio was than his siblings?

"Empire is truth."

A streak of unstoppable swordlight split Yselio in two. Dao of Technology and Killing Intent were crushed by imperial might, leaving only Yrin's intent and Imperial Qi behind. Yrin sheathed his blade and lightly tapped the air to redirect the incoming attack.

"You heartless bastard, what are you doing?" Ylvin glowered. "Despite his failure, Yselio should have been given his rites."

"The trajectory has changed, and I have my instructions," Yrin said as he covered the bisected corpse. "My brother has always been capricious, and I couldn't let him do anything that might harm our efforts."

"I'm sure it has nothing to do with the opportunity," Ylvin snorted as he pointedly looked at the glowing light pouring from Yselio's wounds.

A moment later, a mysterious rune rose from his chest, prompting the Imperial Qi to form a swirl of fate and future.

"The Seventh Edge greets Lord Vindicator," the observers intoned, and Yrin stepped forward.

The swirling Qi welcomed his approach, though Yrin frowned upon feeling a slight disturbance within. He wanted to destroy it and the seal before they could taint the dynasty's providence. But he couldn't. He'd been chosen, so he would bring the Ultom Courts back to the Seventh Heaven, destroying all obstacles in his path.

He touched the rune, and the world turned dark.

"So, how is it?" Ylvin asked when Yrin emerged from the dissipating haze. "I hear those things contain amazing truths for the fated."

Yrin glanced at the empty husk bereft of soul and future and shook his head before turning to the sky.

"Truth..." he muttered, a small smile tugging at his lips.